Anduin Lothar
Anduin Lothar, the Lion of Azeroth, was the last true descendant of the ancient Arathi bloodline, a champion of the Kingdom of Azeroth (later known as the Kingdom of Stormwind) during the First War, and the supreme commander of the armies of the Alliance of Lordaeron during the Second War. Lothar wielded the greatsword, Quel'Zaram. Biography Before the War Lothar grew up in the court of Azeroth as a childhood friend of both the Prince Llane Wrynn and Medivh. Upon coming of age, Lothar joined Azeroth's military and arose quickly to the position of Armsman of the Brotherhood of the Horse, eventually leading Azeroth's armies. The First War thumb|left|Lothar during the First War. thumb|Lothar leading the refugees of Azeroth to Lordaeron. When the orcs first arrived in Azeroth and launched their initial attack on Stormwind Keep, Lothar aggressively advocated taking the battle to them. King Adamant Wrynn III shared Lothar's view, and pledged to rid his beloved land of the orcs. He died, however, before that pledge could ever be fulfilled, and was succeeded by his son, Llane Wrynn I. The new king continued his father's work and the battles against the orcs raged on for nearly ten relatively successful years, during which the invaders were held back to the Swamp of Sorrows. At one point during the war, the Tome of Divinity, a book of great value to the Clerics of Northshire, was stolen by a rogue band of ogres led by the ogre lord Turok. Lothar led an expedition into the ogres' hideout, the Deadmines in Westfall, but were completely overrun and held captive to be killed slowly. Lothar remained imprisoned within the caves for twenty months before he was saved by Azerothian troops. He retrieved the Tome of Divinity and returned to Azeroth, safeguarding the book at Northshire Abbey. Reintroduced to the war, Lothar continued leading the forces of Azeroth. Lothar was shocked when wizard Khadgar, the apprentice to his old friend Medivh, arrived to tell him that the great mage had betrayed everyone by summoning the orcs into Azeroth. Lothar personally led a force to storm Karazhan and kill Medivh. Unfortunately, the death of Medivh could not stop the rampage of the Horde. The war was starting to turn against Azeroth, as the orcs started to learn from their earlier mistakes under the leadership of Warchief Blackhand. King Llane was soon assassinated by the Horde agent Garona and the city of Stormwind sacked. Lothar, knowing that the Kingdom of Azeroth had been lost, decided to save what remained of his once mighty people. He gathered the tattered remnants of the army and as many civilians as he could save and led them in a desperate retreat across the Great Sea, eventually landing upon the shores of Lordaeron. The Second War Once in the court of King Terenas Menethil II of Lordaeron, Lothar told his dire story to everyone who would listen. Lothar's eloquent pleas ultimately brought the human kingdoms together for an emergency council, where his friend Terenas' masterful politics created the Alliance of Lordaeron. Hearing of Lothar's tale, the normally aloof high elves also decided to fight, knowing that they could finally pay off their debt to the Arathi bloodline for saving them during the Troll Wars. The men and elves were later joined by the Bronzebeard dwarves and gnomes of Khaz Modan, who had been forced out much of their lands by the Horde's advance, and the Wildhammer dwarves of Aerie Peak. Because of his great skill in warfare and experience with orcs, Lothar was named the supreme commander of the Alliance forces. Throughout the war, he led his forces from battle to battle with valour and skill. After the Horde's mysterious retreat from Lordaeron and Grand Admiral Daelin Proudmoore's victories at sea, Lothar led the armies of the Alliance to liberate much of Azeroth, eventually breaching the Black Morass itself. Lothar was killed at the foot of Blackrock Spire after a force of Alliance troops he personally commanded was ambushed by the Horde forces. He became separated from the main body of his troops in what is perhaps the greatest battle in Azeroth's history. Amid the chaos, he was forced into combat with Orgrim Doomhammer, Warchief of the Horde; some say that Lothar was defeated in single combat by Doomhammer, others believe that Doomhammer did not win fairly and Lothar was killed after being ambushed by a group of Horde's warriors. Regardless, his blade fell from his dead grasp, though it did not lie for long. Doomhammer believed that Lothar's death would break the fighting spirit of his forces, but what happened was quite the opposite. After Lothar's death, his most trusted general, Turalyon, took up his shield and led the armies of the Alliance to eventual victory over the Blackrock Spire's defenses, allowing Lothar's old ally and friend, Khadgar, later to destroy the Dark Portal. Legacy and memorials Anduin did not live to see his beloved homeland freed from orc control and rebuilt, but a massive stone statue depicting Lothar in his last charge still stands in the Burning Steppes, pointing defiantly towards Blackrock Spire. Lord Lothar's legacy lives on in all the free peoples of Stormwind. The current king of the nation bears Lothar's name.right|thumb|Statue of Lothar in his final charge to Blackrock Spire. The Monument of Remembrance in Honor Hold was also built as a memorial to everything he fought for. Weapons :Main article: Quel'Zaram Quel'Zaram was Lothar's greatsword. Lothar discovered this weapon on his youthful adventures with Llane Wrynn and Medivh. The sword impressed Medivh and he dubbed it Quel'Zaram - Thalassian for "high blade". The weapon's current whereabouts are unknown. :Main article: Ashkandi In World of Warcraft, can be obtained when slaying the Lord of Blackrock, Nefarian, who resides in Blackwing Lair. This is also believed to be Lothar's sword, and his secondary weapon. Brotherhood is assumed to refer to Lothar's order in Azeroth, the Brotherhood of the Horse. The hilt is inscribed with the initials "A.L.". However, judging by its looks, the sword has most likely been altered by Nefarian himself from its original appearance. Surprisingly, when this weapon is given a description in the Monster Guide, no connection to Anduin Lothar is made. Trivia rigt|thumb|The Lion of Azeroth (fanart by [[User:Pulyx|Pulyx)]] In Warcraft III, if you click on a Footman unit enough times he will say "Uncle Lothar wants YOU!", a reference to both Lothar and "Uncle Sam". The name "Lothar" is possibly a reference to Lothar I, the third Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. See also *Novel: The Last Guardian *Chronicles of the War in Azeroth, A detailed account of the childhood and early reign of Llane by Lord Lothar. *History of Warcraft **The Alliance of Lordaeron Category:Deceased Category:Game Characters Category:Lore Characters Category:Humans Category:Major Characters Category:Warcraft II units